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As someone who loves spending time in bookshops, gently wandering amongst aisles of shelving, browsing the wide variety of titles on offer. This post is where I’ve put together a list of bookshops across the world that I have visited and would love to visit.
24 Bookshops Across the World to Visit
UK
St Ives Bookseller, Cornwall
St Ives Bookseller is one of the leading independent bookshops in the UK and part of a family-run company. Established in 2001 and beautifully fitted with solid oak bookcases and Cornish slate floors, they aim to stock something for everyone, with a large general range of over 5000 titles. The children’s section is particularly tempting, as are the central tables packed full of titles to browse through, from prize winners to holiday reads, from well-known local authors to independent gems.
Location: 2 Fore Street, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1AB,
Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, Bath
Mr B’s is a beautiful, energetic and innovative bookshop on John Street in the heart of Bath. It’s a bright labyrinthine space where book-related chatter and advice seems ever-present and you never know what you might encounter next, from claw-foot bath book displays to toilets illustrated by Chris Riddell. They opened in 2006 and it has twice been named the UK’s best independent bookshop. In 2015 the Guardian named Mr B’s one of the ten best bookshops in the world.
Location: 14-15 John Street, Bath, BA1 2JL
Jaffé and Neale, Stow-on-the-Wold
In October 2016 Jaffé & Neale opened a second bookshop in the picturesque Cotswold town of Stow-on-the Wold; about 10 miles from Chipping Norton. The store is 1,000sq ft with a fantastic selection of books set against original stone walls, contemporary shelving and of course a café selling our much-loved locally made carrot and banana cake.
Location: 8 Park Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, GL54 1AQ
Barter Books, Alnwick
Based in what was the Victorian Railway Station for Alnwick and now a magnificent listed building, Barter Books is one of the largest second hand book shops in England, with over 350,000 books to choose from in an atmosphere of cosy peace & tranquillity. Not to be missed are the fantastic murals above your head as you go in and whilst browsing do use the ‘Station Buffet’ recently opened on the old railway platform.
Location: Alnwick Station, Northumberland NE66 2NP
The London Review Bookshop, London
Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, just a Rosetta Stone’s throw from the British Museum, the London Review Bookshop has established itself as an essential part of the capital’s cultural life. Opened in 2003 by the London Review of Books, it’s a place for people who love books to meet, talk, drink excellent tea and coffee, consume delicious cake, and of course, browse.
Location: 14 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JL
The Big Green Bookshop, London
Tim West and Simon Key opened the Big Green Bookshop in March 2008, after the big chain store where they worked in Wood Green closed, leaving the area with no dedicated bookshop. After much joy and much frustration and a huge amount of help and support from the local community the shop opened its doors to fanfares and cheers and a cake or two.
Location:
The Book Hive, Norwich
Situated in the heart of Norwich, in the Lanes area of the city, The Book Hive is a beautiful three storey building housing a unique collection of books in a quirky and stylish setting. As the city’s only truly independent new bookshop, it stocks intriguing titles that are often hard to find elsewhere. Pop in for a hand-picked selection of the newest Fiction and Non-Fiction, plus Poetry, Small Press, Children’s, Cookery and Art titles.
Location: 53 London Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1HL
Village Books, Leeds
Village is an independent bookshop and gallery based in Leeds, UK. They offer a curated selection of contemporary art, design, fashion and photography books and magazines. They also source self-published and small press zines from artists around the world.
Location: 3 Thornton’s Arcade, Leeds, LS1 6LQ
EUROPE
Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice
The self-proclaimed “most beautiful bookstore in the world” is composed of a number of over-stuffed rooms stacked wall-to-wall with books, magazines, maps, and other ephemera. Due to Venice’s constant flooding, however, these picturesque piles are all placed inside bathtubs, waterproof bins, and in one room a full-size gondola.
Location: Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa Castello 5176 – 30122 Venice
Livraria Lello & Irmão, Porto
The bookstore has two floors with shelves packed with books of all shapes and sizes covering every wall and touching the ceiling. An elegant wooden and red velvet staircase stands in the middle of the library connecting both floors, while the stained-glass window at the top fills the shop with natural light bringing the room to life.
Shakespeare & Co., Paris
Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookshop in the heart of Paris, on the banks of the Seine, opposite Notre-Dame. Since opening in 1951, it’s been a meeting place for anglophone writers and readers, becoming a Left Bank literary institution.
Location: 37 rue de la Bucherie, Quartier Latin, 75005 Paris
Carturesti Carusel, Bucharest
This impressive branch of the Cărtureşti chain of books and gifts is located in an opulent, restored early-20th-century shopping emporium in the Historic Centre. Books are on several levels and there’s a decent selection of English-language titles.
Location: Lipscani 55 Bucharest
Open Door Bookshop, Rome
The Open Door Bookshop has operated in Rome for more than thirty years. Its name, as well as trying to express a cordial welcome to all book lovers, intends to testify to an open mind and a consuming curiosity for ideas of all kinds.
Location: Via della Lungaretta 23 – 00153 Rome
Saint George’s English Bookstore, Berlin
Location: 27 Wörther Straße, Bezirk Pankow Berlin, Berlin, 10405
Librería AltaÏr, Barcelona
If you travel so frequently you consider yourself a citizen of the world, Altaïr is the bookshop for you! Founded in Barcelona over thirty years ago, in 1979, Altaïr presents itself as more than a store, but a cultural space, a meeting point, a place to exchange ideas and bump into other travellers.
Location: Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes, 616, 08007, Barcelona
Írók Boltja, Budapest
The name of the shop can be literally translated into English as “The Writers Bookshop”. And it is indeed. Apart from books of all kinds, including small editions and bestsellers, a great variety of local history and art literature, magazines and books for children, there is also a platform for meetings.
Location: Andrássy út 45, Budapest
REST OF THE WORLD
The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles
Currently housed in what used to be an old bank building (complete with marble columns and giant doors), the store first began in a loft apartment and has since expanded to include a record shop, coffee bar and “Labyrinth” mezzanine level solely dedicated to $1 books. It’s now the largest independent bookstore in Southern California. It’s a true community hot spot, bringing like-minded literary folks together to create, inspire and share in an open and welcoming space.
Location: 453 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Cafebrería El Péndulo, Mexico City
It’s amazing how gorgeous spots hide in plain sight, and such is the case of El Péndulo, a bookstore located in Polanco, one of the prettiest and trendiest neighborhoods in the city. You enter the bookstore through a narrow archway and once inside, you discover it keeps some elements of the original architecture of a house built around the 1940s, such as the spiral stairs and arched windows.
Location:
Bart’s Books, Ojai
It’s no secret that Bart’s is a bookstore unlike any other, attracting people from all over the world and gaining recognition for being the largest independently owned and operated outdoor bookstore in the U.S.A. For years, Bart’s has offered a wide variety of rare and captivating books, but the history of how this bookstore came to be is a story in itself.
Location: 302 W Matilija St, Ojai, CA 93023
Grolier Poetry Book Shop, Boston
Down a side street from the Harvard Book Store, the tiny Grolier has been catering to the voracious appetites of Cambridge’s poetry lovers for more than 80 years. Every available surface is piled with new books of verse, ranging from anthologies for casual readers to collections by obscure poets in translation. The Grolier further encourages the appreciation of poetry through its annual prizes and well-attended readings.
Location: 6 Plympton St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine
Longfellow Books is a fiercely independent, community bookstore. We carry a wide and eclectic selection of both new and used books, including Maine books and children’s books, as well as magazines, newspapers and cards.
Location: 1 Monument Way, Portland, ME 04101
The Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, Arizona
Located in Old Town Scottsdale’s Art District, The Pen is celebrated for its schedule of author and literary events and its global outreach through webcasts and worldwide shipping. In 1997 Peters and her husband Robert Rosenwald founded Poisoned Pen Press, a separate corporation dedicated to publishing excellence in mystery. The Poisoned Pen hosted the Left Coast Crime Conference in 1995. and most years hosts a themed mystery conference of its own in Scottsdale.
Location: 4014 N Goldwater Blvd Ste 101, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Books Actually, Singapore
Books Actually is an independent bookstore specializing in fiction and literature. This includes poetry, essays, literary journals, alongside obscure, critical works and antique/rare editions. They also house the largest collection of Singapore literary publications including some out-of-print titles.
Location: 9 Yong Siak St Singapore 168645
Better Read Than Dead, Sydney
For over two decades Better Read Than Dead bookshop has thrived in the heart of Newtown’s King Street, which houses a vibrant community and offers one of the most eclectic shopping experiences in Sydney. This shop is a literary landmark that nourishes the neighbourhood’s intellectual dynamics with a specially curated collection of books and regular author and community events.
Location: 265 King Street, Newtown, Sydney 2042
Where is your favourite bookshop?
Let me know in the comments.
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